Trade Deadline Finishes With a Bang - Gary Armida's Blog

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Gary Armida's Blog

Trade Deadline Finishes With a Bang Stuck

Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:26 AM.

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The final day of the non-waiver trade deadline delivered everything that could�ve been expected. In total, there were nine deals involving 25 players. The Dodgers and Giants each acquired starting outfielders. The Marlins continued to sell off. The Reds strengthened a strength. Ryan Dempster was finally traded. The last couple weeks in Major League Baseball have given us great play, some really good moments, and a trade deadline that no other sport can match. And, the trades aren�t over as now the waiver portion of the trade season begins. Essentially, teams will place players on waivers. If the player goes unclaimed, he can be traded to any team. If a player is claimed, the team can work out a deal with the claiming team, simply hand the player (and his contract) over to the claiming team, or pull the player from waivers. If they pull the player, he can no longer be dealt.

All of this is just the background noise for what look to be fantastic playoff races.

The Philadelphia Phillies trade Hunter Pence and cash considerations to the San Francisco Giants for Nate Schierholtz, Seth Rosin, and Tommy Joseph.

After being swept by the Braves, the Phillies finally decided that they were out. While they don�t have many tradable parts, Hunter Pence was definitely an appealing option. Pence, the 29 year old right handed hitting outfielder, hasn�t produced like he did during his breakout season last year, but he is still hitting a very representative .271/.336/.447 with 15 doubles, 2 triples, 17 home runs, and 59 RBI. He isn�t a strong defensive outfielder according to most metrics, but he does represent an upgrade for the Giants on the offensive side of things. San Francisco right fielders have hit .260/.319/.380 with a National League low 62 home runs. Their .306 wOBA and 90 wRC+ are in the bottom portion of the League.

Pence is a moderate upgrade with batting average and on base percentage, but a big addition with his slugging. His .339 wOBA and 111 wRC+ are significantly better than the Giants� right fielders have compiled. But, it is important to note that Pence is going from one of the better hitting parks in the game to one of the more difficult places to hit. Pence does make the Giants a better team; he is better skilled than the others they have sent out to right field. But, he is not a star. He is not a player who will make the Giants an offensive juggernaut. He helps their lineup, but he does not save their lineup.

Couple the modest upgrade with the fact that the Giants� right fielders have actually been one of the top three defensive groups in the National League and his value is diminished a bit. Pence helps with the bat, but he can hurt with his lack of defensive prowess as well as dealing with the tricky right field in San Francisco.

The Giants do get the big name, but the actual upgrade is modest. The trade value all depends on the cost of securing Pence�s services for the rest of this season and next.

The cost wasn�t all that much for the Giants. The best player the Phillies get is catching prospect Tommy Joseph. Joseph is 20 years old and at the double-A level. He has plus power as he hit 33 doubles and 22 home runs last season. This year he is batting a disappointing .260/.313/.391 with 16 doubles and 8 home runs, but he is young and also quite impressive behind the plate as he has thrown out 48 percent of would-be base stealers. He immediately becomes the Phillies catcher of the future, which could even begin next season. Obviously, the Giants could part with him with Buster Posey behind the plate.

Seth Rosin is a relief prospect who is 23 years old and pitching at high-A ball. Rosin has improved his strikeout rate each season, leading to this season�s 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He could develop into a late inning option. Schierholtz is 28 years old and is a solid hitter in a platoon situation. He�ll get some more opportunities with the Phillies this season, but he isn�t in their future plans.

In all, both teams get what they need. The Giants get a modest upgrade at a decent price. The Phillies get a catching prospect who could arrive next season. They also get an intriguing arm to add to their bullpen. Most importantly, at least to them, they get some salary relief for the rest of this season and next. That relief should allow them to miss having to pay the luxury tax.

The Philadelphia Phillies trade Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ethan Martin and Josh Lindblom.

The Phillies also were able to trade their left fielder Shane Victorino. Victorino, who is 31 years old and just a few months from free agency, will immediately take over the Dodgers starting left fielder. Dodgers� left fielders have hit just .239/.295/.331 with a .275 wOBA and a 71 wRC+. Although Victorino is having a poor season, he is hitting .261/.321/.401 with a .325 wOBA and a 111 wRC+. In terms of offensive production, the Dodgers are getting a nice upgrade, even with Victorino no longer in his prime. His defensive impact is difficult to project as Victorino is shifting to left field after playing center field for the Phillies. The Dodgers improve in left field, gain some stolen base ability, and have someone who has won a title as an everyday play. He is a good addition for Mattingly�s crew, especially at the price.

Josh Lindblom is a 25 year old reliever who is averaging 8.3 K/9 during his two seasons at the Major League level. He�s been an effective Major League reliever, but he comes with a big red flag as he is an extreme flyball pitcher. That plays well in Los Angeles, but in Citizen�s Bank Park it could be deadly. Ethan Martin was once highly thought of, but his Minor League career hasn�t been so smooth. Now 23 years old and at double-A, Martin was finally left as a starter after bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen for the past two seasons. In 20 starts, he has a 3.58 ERA, 6.8 H/9, 4.7 BB/9, and 8.6 K/9. The walk rate is troubling, but actually an improvement. If the Phillies can find a way for him to reduce his walks, he has the stuff to be a quality Major League starter. For him alone, the Phillies did well for a player who they couldn�t afford to re-sign. Both teams get what they need.

The Miami Marlins trade Edward Mujica to the St. Louis Cardinals for Zack Cox.

The Marlins obtained the Cardinals first round pick of the 2010 draft. Cox, a left handed hitting third baseman, had a stellar 2011 season, batting .300/.366/.434 with 27 doubles and 13 homeruns, but he has struggled a bit this year at triple-A. He is hitting just .254/.294/.421 with 23 doubles and 9 home uns. While he hasn�t taken the next step, the 23 year old is still young enough and has enough tools to be a quality Major League third baseman. His stock has fallen, but the Marlins take a good chance with Cox. The Marlins obtain someone with a ceiling at the cost of a middle reliever.

The Cardinals do deal from a position of strength, but they are hardly getting an elite reliever. Mujica, 28 years old, was an above average reliever last season, but has been merely average this season. His strikeouts have decreased in each of the past three seasons and he is giving up almost one more hit per nine innings than he did last season. He could help in middle relief, but the the Marlins certainly got the better talent in this deal. This one wasn�t a fire sale deal by Miami. They got more value than they could�ve expected from an asset. Mujica may help the Cardinals, but he isn�t a difference making reliever.

The Arizona Diamondbacks trade Craig Breslow to the Boston Red Sox for Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik.

One of the weirder trades of the day, the Diamondbacks, who are just 3 games out of the division race, get right handed reliever Matt Albers and the veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik for their lefty specialist. Albers has posted a 2.29 ERA in 40 appearances this season, but he striking out just 5.7 batters per nine innings. He is dependant on his defense, which doesn�t make him the ideal reliever. But, Kevin Towers has made finding relievers an art form so we can just assume that he knows that Albers will be an improvement. Podsednik will serve as an extra outfielder, pinch runner, and spot starter.

The Red Sox get a lefty in Breslow, who is a very effective left handed specialist. The 31 year old has shown excellent control this season and is striking out over 8 batters per nine innings. His presence does allow the Red Sox of the option of moving Franklin Morales back to the rotation where he was so effective earlier this season. Both teams tweak their roster, but neither are markedly better.

The Miami Marlins trade Gaby Sanchez and Kyle Kaminska to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Gorkys Hernandez and a competitive balance pick.

The Marlins first deal was not about a fire sale. This one was as the Marlins were able to obtain the Pirates� competitive balance pick for next year�s draft. They do get Gorkys Hernandez who is still just 24 years old, but he looks more like a fourth outfielder now. The real get is that draft pick, which is great for a team that has sold off most of its parts after getting a city to build it a new stadium.

The Pirates get 23 year old southpaw relief prospect Kyle Kaminska. Kaminska has struggled since he has moved up the ladder, but there is hope that he can develop because of his age and excellent control. He�s a middle reliever at best. The Pirates do take a chance on Gaby Sanchez, who as an All-Star just last season. He�s suffered through a terrible 2012 and has been demoted twice. But, during the past two seasons, he has averaged .269/.346/.437 along with 19 home runs and 82 RBI. At 28 years old there isn�t a ceiling, but Sanchez should return to being a solid offensive force. The Pirates did give up that competitive balance pick, but chances to win don�t come around often. This is their best shot in the weakened NL Central Division. If Sanchez can find his stroke, the Pirates are definitely upgraded.

The Boston Red Sox trade Lars Anderson to the Cleveland Indians for Steven Wright.

Lars Anderson was once the jewel of the Red Sox farm system. His production in the Minor Leagues has slipped as he hitting .259/.359/.415 with 22 doubles and 9 home runs at triple-A. But, he�s just 24 years old and is quite patient at the plate. The Indians are counting on him being a late bloomer as they send their own late bloomer in knucleballing Steven Wright. Wright, 27 years old, is in the middle of a career year. The Red Sox dealt a player who will never start for them for a possible dependable starting pitcher. The Indians take a chance on a player with good on base skills and who could be useful in a platoon role.

The Kansas City Royals trade Jonathan Broxton to the Cincinnati Reds for JC Sulbaran and Donnie Joseph.

The Reds are Baseball�s hottest team. They are in first place and playing quite well even with Joey Votto out. They have the best record in Baseball, a solid offensive core, an underrated rotation, and a stellar bullpen. They add Jonathan Broxton to the mix as another late inning option along with Sean Marshall in setting up Aroldis Chapman. After two down seasons, Broxton has put together a good, but not great season for the Royals. His 2.25 ERA is stellar, but his strikeouts are at a career low and he is still giving up a hit per inning. His walks have returned to a career norm, which has been one of the biggest differences. Still, the Reds get another decent option to a bullpen that has just one member with an ERA high than 3.00.

The Reds send 22 year old right hander JC Sulbaran to the Royals. Sulbaran is a double-A pitcher whose ERA underwhelms, but who is a strikeout pitcher. He walks close to five batters per nine innings and gives up a hit per inning as well. He doesn�t project to be much of a prospect, but a high strikeout pitcher always has a chance to contribute. Donnie Joseph is a 23 year old left handed relief prospect with a big arm and elite level strikeout total as he averages 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Joseph was the Reds� Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2010 and should be in Kansas City before the end of the season. The Royals get a potentially elite reliever in Joseph which is a win for them.

The Chicago Cubs trade Ryan Dempster to the Texas Rangers for Christian Villanueva and Kyle Hendricks.

Ryan Dempster was the most talked about player of the trade deadline. He nixed a deal that would�ve sent him to Atlanta and that would�ve given the Cubs an elite pitching prospect. Dempster was finally traded in the final minutes of the deadline. The Texas Rangers swooped in and acquired the 35 year old right hander. On the surface, Dempster is having a tremendous season. In 16 starts, he has compiled a 2.25 ERA, 7.0 H/9, 0.8 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 7.2 K/9. But, some of his underlying statistics do suggest some trouble. His FIP is more than a full run higher at 3.42, suggesting some good support from his defense. While the 3.42 FIP is still outstanding, a move to the American League and into Texas will automatically raise any ERA and FIP for a pitcher who has spent his entire 15 year career in the National League.

Dempster also has an extremely low .242 BABIP, which is far below his career average of .301. In fact, he hasn�t had a BABIP lower than .271 when he worked as a reliever. He is averaging 89 MPH on his fastball and has increased his slider use this season. Using only three pitches, Dempster will have more trouble navigating American League lineups. The Rangers get what looks to be a solid pitcher, but they still lack a quintessential ace heading down the stretch. Their division competition added Zack Greinke to go along with an already formidable rotation. The Rangers can�t match that. Dempster helps, but he doesn�t exactly meet their needs.

The Cubs do get two good prospects in exchange for Dempster. Christian Villanueva is a 21 year old third base prospect. He is in high-A ball and has shown good power at such a young age. Last season, 50 of his 130 hits were for extra bases. While he hasn�t shown that he can walk, he is still young and has good power for his age. He even stole 32 bases last season. Ranked by Baseball America as the 100th best prospect in Baseball, Villanueva has quite a bit of value for the Cubs. The Rangers could afford to part with him because of the presence of Mike Olt. The Cubs also get Kyle Hendricks, who is a 22 year old right handed pitcher also at high-A ball. He doesn�t throw very hard, but he has tremendous control, having walked just 15 batters in 130 innings this season. The Cubs may have gotten a middle to back end of the rotation type starter as Hendricks is developing and pitching well.

The Rangers didn�t give up any of their elite prospects, but they didn�t land the ace they were lacking. Dempster�s excellent first half statistics won�t carry over in the American League. He can still be effective, but he isn�t going to lead the Rangers rotation. Matt Harrison and Derek Holland are going to have to lead the staff. In fairness, Dempster will be better than Roy Oswalt, which makes him a significant upgrade. The Cubs get two decent prospects to begin to stock their farm system.

The Pittsburgh Pirates trade Casey McGehee to the New York Yankees for Chad Qualls.

The final deal of the day was a minor swap. With the Pirates acquiring Gaby Sanchez, McGehee became expendable. The Yankees no longer needed Chad Qualls with Joba Chamberlain ready to come off of the disabled list. The Pirates bullpen gets a league average, at best, middle reliever to add to their bullpen. His impact should be minimal. The Yankees get the 29 year old McGehee, who will give their bench some balance with a right handed bat who can play either corner infield position. With Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list, McGehee can platoon with Eric Chavez and provide some power off the bench. He isn�t that player who hit 23 homeruns three seasons ago, but in a limited bench role, he can be helpful.